Arthropod pests Essay Example for Free

Arthropod pests Essay The concern that human society will be inevitably obsessed with death is a valid one. Although there may be people today who escape depressing thoughts of death, all will be distraught after reading only a few lines of the Lament for Ignacio Sanchez Mejias. This essay will analyze parts of the work by Federico Lorca and provide some basic interpretations and thoughts on the subject. Beginning with the first line of the lament, the reader is struck with an overwhelming sense of time—five in the afternoon. It fills the mind as the words continue. â€Å"It was exactly five in the afternoon. † Ignacio has obviously died. The time of day is noted, and the question arises immediately: why repeat the time â€Å"five in the afternoon† after every line (up to five times)! I think the point of repeating the time excessively is to pound a feeling of monotony that accompanies utter grief into the mind of the reader. Also, it provides a broad scope to help the reader understand how many hopelessly depressing things are going on at once. A possible answer, then, is that the lament needs synchronization in order to deliver the correct emotions that Lorca felt. For example, leaving out the repeated time, the first stanza becomes, â€Å"A boy brought the white sheet, A frail of lime ready prepared, The rest was death, and death alone. † In this version, the reader feels like three mundane, somewhat depressing things are happening in sequence as opposed to feeling a horrifying realization of the simultaneous events surrounding the loss of a close friend. Without the repetition it may still seem sad, but nowhere near as powerful as the original. Adding the repetition back in, one feels as though time has been stopped during a metaphorical symphony of pain from grief. As the horrible moment continues, Lorca adds additional imagery: â€Å"Groups of silence in the corners†¦ A coffin on wheels is his bed†¦ The room was iridescent with agony†¦ In the distance the gangrene now comes†¦ The wounds were burning like suns†¦ at five in the afternoon. At five in the afternoon. Ah, that fatal five in the afternoon! It was five by all the clocks! It was five in the shade of the afternoon! † It is no accident that we read of the time of day five times at the end of this section. Also, both of the first two stanzas contain five references to the time as well, almost suffocating us with the existence of the terrible hour. Lorca perfectly displays the effect of death on the human mind. Cluttered with the details most ignored in regular life, our brains (perhaps as a self-defense to keep us alive) go through an almost physical withdrawal when those near to us die. In conclusion, It is obvious that our lives revolve around death whether we like it or not. Death is the nemesis of survival, and survival is our primary goal in life as humans. Reproduction, social reform, religion, or anything else we live for (even hedonism) must manifest itself through survival of ourselves or others. Thus, as long as we survive, humans will always be obsessed with death.

Organic vs. industrial food Essay Example for Free

Organic vs. industrial food Essay Organic foods, although stereotypically known for having a bland taste or having no taste have been shown to improve ones quality of life be decreasing some health risk such as cancer or heart disease. If you haven’t realized it, organic fruits and vegetables taste better, and the flavor is crispier. The health consequences of genetically modified food, when examined closely, will convince you to change your eating habits. The shelf life of food depends on four main factors: formulation, processing, packaging and storage. Change any one of these conditions and you can change the shelf life for better or worse. Shelf life has many attributes: bacterial control, color stability, yeast and mold inhibition, flavor stability, textural stability and aroma stability. The appearance of shelf-life problems can be wide, as well, including oxidative browning, oxidation of flavor compounds, or liquescence. To increase the shelf life of more unstable foods, such as low-sugar jam, low-salt condiments, low-oil salad dressings, prepared fresh produce and deli meats, food companies may take steps to reduce bacterial load from ingredients before they process the final food. To grow, thrive and survive, microbes need a friendly environment; this usually includes moisture. Lowering moisture creates a hostile environment for bacteria by decreasing the available medium for them to grow in. There are a number of new ingredients to help regulate water activity in foods with a reduced fat phase. â€Å" Generally, the water activity of a minimally processed food needs to be about 0. 07 or lower, water has an a W rating of 1. 00, and most products preserved with sugar, measure about 0. 07, with the excess water bound so that bacteria are under osmotic pressure too great to survive(Katz, February 4, 2006). † Whenever you buy food, you have decision to make: Healthy or cheap, organic or industrial. If organic food was not so expensive, that decision would be easy, everybody would buy organic food, for a healthier body. Unfortunately not everybody can afford it, making it look like healthy food is becoming a luxury good. In the rush to produce more and more food for the people on this planet, chemicals came into play. Farmers begin by trying to sell the highest percentage of their crop and therefore often use pesticides, gen-manipulated corn, chemicals etc. The farmers investment in pesticides, hormones, and chemicals tends to pays off, earning more, their fruits look better and costumers are happy with huge pest fee fruits and vegetables. When a farmer says no to chemicals, he runs the risk of losing a harvest because of pests. The only way to compensate the cost is a higher price for organic food. You cant ask everybody to pay higher prices, and a lot of people would starve to death without the use of chemicals which protect harvests against pests. Every time you eat something, you consume pesticides, these substances are added in order to produce and sell more efficient. Fortunately there are strict rules for the use of chemicals. Organic foods are produced following practices described in the USDA National Organic Program (NOP), a marketing program with a certification process throughout the production and manufacturing chain. The NOP describes the practices that are required for labeling a product â€Å"organic,† but it does not address nutritional benefits or food safety issues. Even when you buy organic food, you are consuming these substances, but the bar is set at a different height and you are consuming less harmful substances that could be particularly hazards for high-risk groups such as pregnant women, infants, young children and farm worker households. Since organic food is not prepared using chemical fertilizers and pesticides, it does not contain any traces of these strong chemicals and might not affect the human body. People strongly believe that organic food tastes better than non-organic food. The prominent reason for this belief is that it is produced using organic means of production. Further organic food is often sold locally resulting in availability of fresh produce in the market. So how bad is industrial food? Let’s take a look; there are maximum residue limits on all pesticides and chemicals. The department of health determines how much of each substance is ok. Eating organic food lowers the risk of getting hit by a similar scenario, but its not a 100% guarantee (Are Organic Foods Better for You. 2010). However, getting seriously sick from cheap food is not that high of a risk as long as you read food labels you can eat cheap and healthy at the same time? If you are eating organic food only, you are still eating unhealthy foods. Almost everyone is aware that foods grown according to organic principles are free from over exposure to harmful pesticides, but that is only one small aspect. A larger part of organic agriculture is the health of the soil and the ecosystem in which crops are raised. Organic farmers know that healthy, live soils significantly benefit crops. Synthetic chemicals such as herbicides, pesticides, and/or fast acting inorganic fertilizers applied to or around crops interrupt or destroy the micro biotic activity in the soil. Organic farming reduces groundwater pollutants, decreases pesticides that can end up in your drinking glass; in some cities, pesticides in tap water have been measured at unsafe levels. The Farmer’s Market is a growers’ market, meaning everything in the market is homegrown, but Richard Bowie, an experienced organic grower is not convinced that all the food being sold is homegrown. â€Å"The market’s slogan ‘100% Homegrown makes us different’ is used as a gimmick, said Bowie† (Shreve, October 3, 2011). Vendors have been seen carrying produce and selling it to other vendors at the market bringing the term organically grown in to question and without certification, and but by law they cannot say they are a certified organically grown vendor. Most vendors cannot afford the certification process and want consumers to look past the term organic there for focus on the soil used or nutrients used. Almost everyone is aware that foods grown according to organic principles are free from over exposure to harmful pesticides, but that is only one small aspect. A larger part of organic agriculture is the health of the soil and the ecosystem in which crops are raised. Organic farmers know that healthy, live soils significantly benefit crops. Synthetic chemicals such as herbicides, pesticides, and/or fast acting inorganic fertilizers applied to or around crops interrupt or destroy the micro biotic activity in the soil. Organic farming reduces groundwater pollutants, decreases pesticides that can end up in your drinking glass; in some cities, pesticides in tap water have been measured at unsafe levels. We should choose farming methods that truly address our real concerns safety and sustainability, not simply methods that satisfy an arbitrary marketing label. To whatever extent these practices include methods that are permitted under organic rules. But theres never a case when a safe, more efficient, and sustainable modern technology that feeds more people worldwide should be disallowed for no logical reason. Eating â€Å"organic† alone doesn’t guarantee 100 percent healthy . The truth is that most Americans eat so badly that we get most of our calories from soft drinks, more than we do from vegetables; the top food group by caloric intake is â€Å"sweets†; and one-third of nation’s adults are now obese. It’s not unimportant, but it’s not the primary issue in the way Americans eat. To eat well, says means avoiding â€Å"edible food-like substances† and sticking to real ingredients, increasingly from the plant kingdom. There’s plenty of evidence that both a person’s health as well as the environment’s will improve with a simple shift in eating habits away from animal products and highly processed foods to plant products and what might be called â€Å"real food. † From these changes, Americans would reduce the amount of land, water and chemicals used to produce the food we eat, as well as the incidence of lifestyle diseases linked to unhealthy diets and greenhouse gases from industrial meat production. And the food would not necessarily have to be organic, all it takes is paying attention to what you eat and read your labels more closely. Participation on our part to be more aware of what we buy and to raise our voices, if need be. We can let our opinions be known even in the simplest ways. A good example is when we shop, if there is no substitute for the product we need, let the store owners know, they will surely change their products. Organic food is better as it uses natural farming techniques. It is similar to preferring natural remedies when suffering from a disease as compared to eating chemical antibiotics. So, the question of organic foods vs non organic foods; which is better, is clearly answered. Organic food surpasses the conventionally produced foods. References Katz, F. (Febuary 4, 2006). Formulating for increased shelf life. Retrieved November 22, 2011, from http://www. foodprocessing. com/articles/2006/039. html Are Organic Foods Better For You?. Retrieved November 19, 2011, from http://preventdisease. com/home/tips61. shtml Shreve, S. (October 3, 2011). Does organically grown produce really matter?. Retrieved November 21, 2011, from.

Biometric Passport With Rfid Information Technology Essay

Biometric Passport With Rfid Information Technology Essay Radio-frequency identification is the use of an object typically referred to as an RFID tag applied to or incorporated into a product, animal, or person for the purpose of identification and tracking using radio waves. Some tags can be read from several meters away and beyond the line of sight of the reader. Radio-frequency identification comprises interrogators (also known as readers), and tags (also known as labels). The RFID device serves the same purpose as a bar code or a magnetic strip on the back of a credit card or ATM card; it provides a unique identifier for that object. And, just as a bar code or magnetic strip must be scanned to get the information, the RFID device must be scanned to retrieve the identifying information. RFID Works Better Than Barcodes: A significant advantage of RFID devices over the others mentioned above is that the RFID device does not need to be positioned precisely relative to the scanner. Were all familiar with the difficulty that store checkout clerks sometimes have in making sure that a barcode can be read. And obviously, credit cards and ATM cards must be swiped through a special reader. In contrast, RFID devices will work within a few feet (up to 20 feet for high-frequency devices) of the scanner. For example, you could just put all of your groceries or purchases in a bag, and set the bag on the scanner. It would be able to query all of the RFID devices and total your purchase immediately. RFID technology has been available for more than fifty years. It has only been recently that the ability to manufacture the RFID devices has fallen to the point where they can be used as a throwaway inventory or control device. Alien Technologies recently sold 500 million RFID tags to Gillette at a cost of about ten cents per tag. One reason that it has taken so long for RFID to come into common use is the lack of standards in the industry. Most companies invested in RFID technology only use the tags to track items within their control; many of the benefits of RFID come when items are tracked from company to company or from country to country. Figure 2: Types of RFID tags Figure 3: RFID scanners History and technology background: Mario Cardullos U.S. Patent 3,713,148 in 1973 was the first true ancestor of modern RFID; a passive radio transponder with memory. The initial device was passive, powered by the interrogating signal, and was demonstrated in 1971 to the New York Port Authority and other potential users and consisted of a transponder with 16 bit memory for use as a toll device. The basic Cardullo patent covers the use of RF, sound and light as transmission media. The original business plan presented to investors in 1969 showed uses in transportation (automotive vehicle identification, automatic toll system, electronic license plate, electronic manifest, vehicle routing, vehicle performance monitoring), banking (electronic check book, electronic credit card), security (personnel identification, automatic gates, surveillance) and medical (identification, patient history). An early demonstration of reflected power (modulated backscatter) RFID tags, both passive and semi-passive, was performed by Steven Depp, Alfred Koelle, and Robert Freyman at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in 1973. The portable system operated at 915Â  MHz and used 12-bit tags. This technique is used by the majority of todays UHFID and microwave RFID tags. The first patent to be associated with the abbreviation RFID was granted to Charles Walton in 1983. Miniaturization: RFIDs are easy to conceal or incorporate in other items. For example, in 2009 researchers at Bristol University successfully glued RFID micro transponders to live ants in order to study their behavior. This trend towards increasingly miniaturized RFIDs is likely to continue as technology advances. However, the ability to read at distance is limited by the inverse-square law. Hitachi holds the record for the smallest RFID chip, at 0.05mm x 0.05mm. The Mu chip tags are 64 times smaller than the new RFID tags. Manufacture is enabled by using the Silicon-on-Insulator (SOI) process. These dust sized chips can store 38-digit numbers using 128-bit Read Only Memory (ROM). A major challenge is the attachment of the antennas, thus limiting read range to only millimeters. Potential alternatives to the radio frequencies (0.125-0.1342, 0.140-0.1485, 13.56, and 840-960Â  MHz) used are seen in optical RFID (or OPID) at 333 THz (900Â  nm), 380 THz (788Â  nm), 750 THz (400Â  nm). The awkward antennas of RFID can be replaced with photovoltaic components and IR-LEDs on the ICs. Figure 4: Miniature RFID tag Modular Decomposition Our system requirements are very clearly and not expect to change frequently. So, we will use in our system Waterfall model. And because the requirements are well understood. Project Activities Task# Duration (week) Description T1 2 -Feasibility study of the system T2 2 -Requirement analysis -Requirement specification T3 6 -System design -Code programming -Interface design T4 2 -System testing -Feedback on system testing -validation of system Risks Management Risk type Possible risks Technology Not all system familiar with RFID hardwares and softwares. People -Key staff is ill and unavailable at critical times (Only one employee work in this system). Requirements -Customers fail to understand the impact of Requirements changes. Estimation -The time required to develop the software is underestimated. -The rate of defect repair is underestimated. -The size of the software is underestimated. Risks Analysis Risk Probability Effects Technology Low Serious People Low Catastrophic Requirements High Serious Estimation Moderate Serious Risk Management Strategies Risk type Strategy Technology Will choose the software hardware Carefully. People -Gave every task over-days, and some days will Have overtime of work. Requirements -After every task there is a feedback, The costumer will see it. -Investigate buying-in components. Estimation -Replace potentially defective components With bought-in components of known reliability. RFID Tools: Most RFID tags contain at least two parts. One is an integrated circuit for storing and processing information, modulating and demodulating a radio-frequency (RF) signal, and other specialized functions. The second is an antenna for receiving and transmitting the signal. There are generally two types of RFID tags: 1. Active RFID tags An RFID tag is an active tag when it is equipped with a battery that can be used as a partial or complete source of power for the tags circuitry and antenna. Some active tags contain replaceable batteries for years of use; others are sealed units. (Note that it is also possible to connect the tag to an external power source.) Advantages of an active rfid tag: 1- It can be read at distances of one hundred feet or more, greatly improving the utility of the device 2- It may have other sensors that can use electricity for power. 3- Longest communication range of any tag. 4- The capability to perform independent monitoring and control 5- The capability of initiating communications 6- The capability of performing diagnostics 7- The highest data bandwidth 8- Active rfid tags may even be equipped with autonomous networking; the tags autonomously determine the best communication path. Disadvantages of an active RFID tag: 1- The tag cannot function without battery power, which limits the lifetime of the tag. 2- The tag is typically more expensive, often costing $20 or more each. 3- The tag is physically larger, which may limit applications. 4- The long-term maintenance costs for an active RFID tag can be greater than those of a passive tag if the batteries are replaced. 5- Battery outages in an active tag can result in expensive misreads. 2. Passive RFID tags: A passive tag is an RFID tag that does not contain a battery; the power is supplied by the reader. When radio waves from the reader are encountered by a passive RFID tag, the coiled antenna within the tag forms a magnetic field. The tag draws power from it, energizing the circuits in the tag. The tag then sends the information encoded in the tags memory. Advantages of a passive tag: 1- The tag functions without a battery; these tags have a useful life of twenty years or more. 2- The tag is typically much less expensive to manufacture. 3- The tag is much smaller (some tags are the size of a grain of rice). These tags have almost unlimited applications in consumer goods and other areas. Disadvantages of a passive rfid tag: 1- The tag can be read only at very short distances, typically a few feet at most. This greatly limits the device for certain applications. 2- It may not be possible to include sensors that can use electricity for power. 3- The tag remains readable for a very long time, even after the product to which the tag is attached has been sold and is no longer being. Figure 5: Active and Passive RFID tag Current uses of RFID: 1- Biometric passport: A biometric passport, also known as an e-passport or ePassport, is a combined paper and electronic passport (hence the e-, as in e-mail) that contains biometric information that can be used to authenticate the identity of travelers. It uses contactless smart card technology, including a microprocessor chip (computer chip) and antenna (for both power to the chip and communication) embedded in the front or back cover, or center page, of the passport. Document and chip characteristics are documented in the International Civil Aviation Organisations (ICAO) Doc 9303. The passports critical information is both printed on the data page of the passport and stored in the chip. Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) is used to authenticate the data stored electronically in the passport chip making it virtually impossible to forge when all security mechanisms are fully and correctly implemented. Note that the USA Passport card is not a biometric passport. The passport card does not follow the ICAOs Doc 9303, can only be used in a limited number of countries and uses a simple RFID chip instead of the contactless smart card technology that is used for biometric passports. Contactless smart card technology includes a microprocessor, data access control, communications security and other functionality as programmed. 2- Microchip implant (human): A human microchip implant is an integrated circuit device or RFID transponder encased in silicate glass and implanted into a humans body. A subdermal implant typically contains a unique ID number that can be linked to information contained in an external database, such as personal identification, medical history, medications, allergies, and contact information. Hobbyists: The first reported experiment with an RFID implant was carried out in 1998 by the British scientist Kevin Warwick. As a test, his implant was used to open doors, switch on lights, and cause verbal output within a building. The implant has since been held in the Science Museum (London). Since that time, at least two additional hobbyists have placed RFID microchips implants into their hands or had them placed there by others. Amal Graafstra, author of the book RFID Toys, asked doctors to place implants in his hands. A cosmetic surgeon used a scalpel to place a microchip in his left hand, and his family doctor injected a chip into his right hand using a veterinary Avid injector kit. Graafstra uses the implants to open his home and car doors and to log on to his computer. Neither implant was the VeriChip brand. Medical records use: The PositiveID Corporation (previously known as The VeriChip Corporation; Applied Digital Solutions, Inc.; and The Digital Angel Corporation) distribute the implantable chip known as the VeriChip. The company suggests that the implant could be used to retrieve medical information in the event of an emergency, as follows: Each VeriChip implant contains a 16-digit ID number. This number is transmitted when a hand-held VeriChip scanner is passed within a few inches of the implant. Participating hospitals and emergency workers can enter this number into a secure page on the VeriChip Corporations website to access medical information that the patient has previously stored on file with the company. Building access and security: The VeriChip Corporation has also suggested that the implant could be used to restrict access to secure facilities such as power plants. Microchip scanners could be installed at entrances so locks would only work for persons with appropriately programmed chips. The downside is the relative ease with which the 16-digit ID number contained in a chip implant can be obtained and cloned using a hand-held device, a problem that has been demonstrated publicly by security researcher Jonathan Westhues and documented in the May 2006 issue of Wired magazine, among other places. A nightclub in Barcelona offered a chip implant for identifying VIP guests. Figure 6: Biometric passport with RFID tag Figure 7: Microchip human implant Technical problems with RFID: Problems with RFID Standards: RFID has been implemented in different ways by different manufacturers; global standards are still being worked on. It should be noted that some RFID devices are never meant to leave their network (as in the case of RFID tags used for inventory control within a company). This can cause problems for companies. Consumers may also have problems with RFID standards. For example, ExxonMobils SpeedPass system is a proprietary RFID system; if another company wanted to use the convenient SpeedPass (say, at the drive-in window of your favorite fast food restaurant) they would have to pay to access it an unlikely scenario. On the other hand, if every company had their own SpeedPass system, a consumer would need to carry many different devices with them. RFID systems can be easily disrupted: Since RFID systems make use of the electromagnetic spectrum (like WiFi networks or cellphones), they are relatively easy to jam using energy at the right frequency. Although this would only be an inconvenience for consumers in stores (longer waits at the checkout), it could be disastrous in other environments where RFID is increasingly used, like hospitals or in the military in the field. Also, active RFID tags (those that use a battery to increase the range of the system) can be repeatedly interrogated to wear the battery down, disrupting the system. RFID Reader Collision: Reader collision occurs when the signals from two or more readers overlap. The tag is unable to respond to simultaneous queries. Systems must be carefully set up to avoid this problem; many systems use an anti-collision protocol (also called a singulation protocol. Anti-collision protocols enable the tags to take turns in transmitting to a reader. RFID Tag Collision: Tag collision occurs when many tags are present in a small area; but since the read time is very fast, it is easier for vendors to develop systems that ensure that tags respond one at a time. Security, privacy and ethics problems with RFID: The following problems with RFID tags and readers have been reported: The contents of an RFID tag can be read after the item leaves the supply chain: An RFID tag cannot tell the difference between one reader and another. RFID scanners are very portable; RFID tags can be read from a distance, from a few inches to a few yards. This allows anyone to see the contents of your purse or pocket as you walk down the street. Some tags can be turned off when the item has left the supply chain. Zombie RFID Tags: One of the main concerns with RFID tags is that their contents can be read by anyone with an appropriately equipped scanner even after you take it out of the store. One technology that has been suggested is a zombie RFID tag, a tag that can be temporarily deactivated when it leaves the store. The process would work like this: you bring your purchase up to the register, the RFID scanner reads the item, you pay for it and as you leave the store, you pass a special device that sends a signal to the RFID tag to die. That is, it is no longer readable. The zombie element comes in when you bring an item back to the store. A special device especially made for that kind of tag re-animates the RFID tag, allowing the item to reenter the supply chain. RFID tags are difficult to remove: RFID tags are difficult to for consumers to remove; some are very small (less than a half-millimeter square and as thin as a sheet of paper) others may be hidden or embedded inside a product where consumers cannot see them. New technologies allow RFID tags to be printed right on a product and may not be removable at all. RFID tags can be read without your knowledge: Since the tags can be read without being swiped or obviously scanned (as is the case with magnetic strips or barcodes), anyone with an RFID tag reader can read the tags embedded in your clothes and other consumer products without your knowledge. For example, you could be scanned before you enter the store, just to see what you are carrying. You might then be approached by a clerk who knows what you have in your backpack or purse, and can suggest accessories or other items. RFID tags can be read at greater distances with a high-gain antenna: For various reasons, RFID reader/tag systems are designed so that distance between the tag and the reader is kept to a minimum. However, a high-gain antenna can be used to read the tags from much further away, leading to privacy problems. RFID tags with unique serial numbers could be linked to an individual credit card number: At present, the Universal Product Code (UPC) implemented with barcodes allows each product sold in a store to have a unique number that identifies that product. Work is proceeding on a global system of product identification that would allow each individual item to have its own number. When the item is scanned for purchase and is paid for, the RFID tag number for a particular item can be associated with a credit card number. Goals of the project: Many students skip more than 20% of their lectures, and using an embed RFID tags in their student card will help to keep track of attendance. It can be a reference to the doctor in keeping records of attendance. It can also be used to provide any extra information to the doctor or the department without the need to type in the student number. It can be upgraded to include money amounts to be used around the university campus. Provides better management for the doctor in his lecture. Reduce the use of paper to keep track of the students. User Requirements: Any user can use the system. Students are able to see their attendance online and almost in real time. Ordinary student cards can be implanted with an RFID tag. DATA Flow Diagram: Figure 8 Scenario Diagram : The first step , the user scans his card The user opens the website. { For example Just website } The user chooses if he will log-in like member or visitor. Figure 9 If he clicks sign in Button, the system asks him to insert his ID and the Password, and then the system checks the validity of the inserted information and then asks him to rescan his card to match it with that ID. Figure 10 If the password valid and is a match with the card, the system redirect him to the member page. Figure 11 If a doctor has logged in , the system ask him if he would like to open the attendance list of his lectures , or opens the student list of a certain lecture to have the students check for attendance . If a student has logged in, the students will be able to view a list of his lecture absence or check for a certain lecture attendance By rescanning the card, the member signs out of the system. If he clicks the Visitor button, He can view a guide on how to obtain an RFID tagged card. Figure 12 Information sources: RFID tags are a new technology and few companies support it, one of these companies that provide support to RFID tags is TOUCHATAG. So we tried to collect as many information from the touchatag website about it and about the RFID hardware before we start using it and these resources are: 1- Touchatag webpage: we entered Touchatag webpage to read about how to use touchatag device, tags. 2- Taking the website tour: we took a tour about touchatag DIY. 3- Reading books and tutorials: we read many tutorials and online books about RFID tags and hardware. Software Requirements: To do this project we needed some hardware to help us in the building: 1- Touchatag RFID scanner: we must have touchatag rfid scanner to do this project, so we obtained it. 2- RFID tags from Touchatag Company: these tags are used with the scanner to have a working RFID environment. 3- A programming software: Programming software is required to implement the project, then uploading it to the touchatag website and attach it with the account associated with the RFID scanner. System Requirements: As Touchatag application is a software attached to the touchatag server, client must satisfy these requirements to run the application, here we are using this application under Windows (requirements vary depend on OS machine): Windows Minimum requirement Recommended Internet Connection: Cable or DSL Cable or DSL Operating System: 2000, XP, or Vista XP or Vista Computer Processor: 800 MHz Pentium III or Athlon, or better 1.5 GHz (XP), 2-GHz (Vista) 32-bit (x86) or better Screen Resolution: 1024768 pixels 1024768 pixels or higher Graphics Card for XP/2000 NVIDIA GeForce 2, GeForce 4 MX or better NVIDIA Graphics cards GeForce Go Series: 7600, 7800, 7900 ATI Graphics Cards X2600, X2900 X3650, X3850 Graphics Card for Vista (requires latest drivers) NVIDIA GeForce 6600 or better OR ATI Radeon 9500 or better OR Intel 945 chipset NVIDIA Graphics cards GeForce Go Series: 7600, 7800, 7900 ATI Graphics Cards X2600, X2900 X3650, X3850 Implementation: For the implementation part, and due to the lack of possibility to develop my application directly on the Touchatag device, I took the approach of developing two things and link them together, first Ive created the website and the data base using ASP.net and C#, stored the data and performed the operation that Ill explain later on, and the second part was creating a visual basic script, that is attached to each tag and performs the task needed when it is called by the tag. ASP.net : Ive started the project with programming on ASP.net using C#, to accomplish the following tasks: Create a Doctor ID for login. Create a Doctor Password for login. Save the Doctor ID and Password in the database. Login as a Doctor and open the Student attendance system page. Check lectures where this function do the following : Upon clicking the button the system checks the time on the system and then scan the database for any lectures that is in this time and then return the tables ID which matches the time of the system and then store it in a hidden label, then the program checks the hidden label for the ID of the lecture and goes to the database to retrieve the students who are attached with that ID, along with two fields for the Time in and Time out. Upon clicking one of the four buttons which are labeled {Open Sign in, Close Sign in. Open Sign out, Close Sign Out} the values of a hidden label are changed to specific values. When the student types in his Student ID and Student Password , then press the login button , the system checks the student ID and the password if they are stored in the data base , once he found the data it checks which button of the four was clicked by the doctor first by checking a hidden label that stored the values of the button that was clicked , then based on that value it stores the time when the Login button was clicked, and by doing so it also updates the Database at the same Time. Visual Basic Script : The visual basic script is what links the ASP.net website to the Touchatag card; it is implemented through statements that do the following: Each Tag is assigned to a script of its own. The Tag when scanned activates the script that is assigned to it. The script is constructed with few simple statements that opens the web page, writes the user ID and Password in the cross ponding field, and the press the login button. Touchatag reader and Tags : The Touchatag reader is connected to the Touchatag server which does the specific task you have assigned it already on the Touchatag Server, and by scanning each tag the specific Tag ID goes to the Server and retrieves the function that is assigned to that specific Tag. Screen Shots: Asp.net Doctor Login Page : Figure 13: ASP.net Student Login Page , with Check Lectures and other Prompts: Figure 14: ASP.net Visual Basic Script: Figure 15: Visual Basic Touchatag: Figure 16: Touchatag Figure 17 Figure 18 : Touchatag Figure 19: Touchatag Testing Security: Rfid ID tags provided by touchatag have several security measures which include: 1- Accounts password: Every user has a password to access his account in the webpage and the server. This password is created when the user signs up. 2- IPs: touchatag server changes its IP from time to time to avoid hacking. 3- Report Abuse: This feature allows any user to report any object or person if they abused them. 4- Unique tags ID: each tag has a unique tag provided by the tag itself. Copyrights: The touchatag RFID tags are copyright protected and cant be used without a reference from touchatag. Performance Testing: Each tag is scanned effortlessly without any problems, the website might crash sometimes but it is restored without any problems. Unit Testing: Ive tested the tags, they work fine even after being placed in a wallet for more than 6 months and the wear and tear process is slow, and the tags are durable. Conclusion This project is the first step towards building Jordan University of Science Technology fully automated attendance system; JUST administration can take this step further, build on it to reach a better-enhanced project and can add more features and services to staff, officers, and students. Furthermore, the administration can also use this new technology to improve students attendance services and activities. I faced many problems during this project. The first problem is when I have to work in this system alone. Really, this problem gave me a big challenge to complete the project, but with the help of Dr. Qutaiba Al Thebyan, Dr. Qusai Abu Ein, Mrs. Alaa Mestarihi and the department, I could complete it. Finally, RFID tags is the future and every day services now a day require more interaction , but with those tags , many services and jobs can be done effortlessly without the ever getting your hand out of your pocket.

The Forcing of Young People into Community or Government Service Essay

The Forcing of Young People into Community or Government Service Some people suggest that everyone between the ages of 18 and 21 should be required to perform one year of community or government service. Such service might include the Peace Corps, Environmental Conservancy Corps, a hospital, the military, a rural or inner-city school, or other community outreach projects. I believe forcing the service of any group of people is a bad idea. In this case, three reasons come to mind as to what makes this idea bad. First, I see this as a form of indentured servitude, even though the folks may earn a paycheck. Second, I feel that this idea takes away from the idea of the United States being a free place to live. And third, much like the idea of the federal government considering funding for 'faith-based' programs, who determines which programs would qualify? These three reasons as enough for me to think the requirement of community service is a bad idea. The forcing of young people into community or government service could be seen as a form of indentured servitude. People working in those capacities would certainly receive a paycheck at the end of the day, and could go home to their families, but until their year of service is up, they have no other options to do what they will with their lives. I do think that community service is a wonderful idea. Volunteers at local hospitals, the Peace Corps and military provide an invaluable service to the community and to the country....

Gangs and Violence :: Gangs Violence Psychology Essays

Gangs and Violence Gangs are a violent reality that people have to deal with in today's cities. What has made these groups come about? Why do kids feel that being in a gang is both an acceptable and prestigious way to live? The long range answer to these questions can only be speculated upon, but in the short term the answers are much easier to find. On the surface, gangs are a direct result of human beings' personal wants and peer pressure. To determine how to effectively end gang violence we must find the way that these morals are given to the individual. Unfortunately, these can only be hypothesized. However, by looking at the way humans are influenced in society, I believe there is good evidence to point the blame at several institutions. These include the forces of the media, the government, theatre, drugs and our economic system.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On the surface, gangs are caused by peer pressure and greed. Many teens in gangs will pressure peers into becoming part of a gang by making it all sound glamorous. Money is also an crucial factor. A kid (a 6-10 year old, who is not yet a member) is shown that s/he could make $200 to $400 for small part time gang jobs. Although these are important factors they are not strong enough to make kids do things that are strongly against their morals.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the ways that kids morals are bent so that gang violence becomes more acceptable is the influence of television and movies. The average child spends more time at a TV than she/he spends in a classroom. Since nobody can completely turn off their minds, kids must be learning something while watching the TV. Very few hours of television watched by children are educational, so other ideas are being absorbed during this period of time. Many shows on television today are extremely violent and are often shown this from a gang's perspective. A normal adult can see that this is showing how foully that gangs are living. However, to a child this portrays a violent gang existance as acceptable. 'The Ends Justifies the Means' mentality is also taught through many shows where the "goody guy" captures the "bad guy" through violence and is then being commended. A young child sees this a perfectly acceptable because he knows that the "bad guy" was wrong but has no idea of what acceptable apprehension techniques are.

Definition Of Modernism In Fiction Essay -- essays research papers

Definition of Modernism in Fiction Modernism, in literature, can be seen as a shift in focus to the unassociated introspective reflection of characters in such texts as Go Tell It On The Mountain, by James Baldwin, Miss Lonelyhearts, by Nathanael West and The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger. This is a revision from the previous focal point of exterior events and places in correlation with the character’s reflections. Emphasis is placed on review upon feelings and thoughts, and even conversations with oneself, as opposed to the more directly event-driven reflections in texts of the pre-modernist era. This is not to say that texts of the modernist era have no events, or that their characters sit at home all day long thinking. Many activities take place in these texts, but the characters tend to spend time reflecting upon basically uncorrelated ideas, and to ponder what they mean for him. For example, in Go Tell it On the Mountain, when his aunt, Florence, comes to church for the first time, John knows, "it was the hand of the Lord that had led her to this place, and his heart grew cold. The Lord was riding on the wind tonight. What might that wind have spoken before the morning came?"(61). John's pondering of the Lord "riding on the wind" seems somewhat unrelated to his aunt coming to church. His premonition that something would happen tonight has nothing to do with the current events. It can be seen, in the broader definition of modernism provi...

History of Musical Films Essay

By 1928, Hollywood was invaded by sound theater. Silent films made an honorable exit. Vaudeville was also being wiped out. It signaled a phenomenon Tinseltown was not quite prepared for. It was the time of sound facilities and infrastructures. Later on Broadway composers were hired to write screen musicals (â€Å"History of Musical Film†, 2004). The first picture to make a transition from silent film to sound was Warner Bros. ’ 1927 The Jazz Singer starring Al Jolson who mostly did the singing in the movie (â€Å"Musical Film†, 2006). One MGM musical hit opened the doors to the musical film genre. This was the 1929 Broadway Melody with a score by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed. The story was about two sisters fighting over their love of a song and dance man. It cost $379,000. 00 and grossed for $1. 6 million in its first release. Its title tune is â€Å"You Were Meant for Me. † It was the first sound film to win an Academy Award for Best Picture. MGM’s production chief Irving Thalberg was credited for bringing in a string of musical hits since Broadway Melody. (â€Å"History of Musical Film 1927-1930 Part II†, 2004). Love Parade from Paramount followed on the same year by silent screen director Ernst Lubitch. It is a lighthearted operetta inspired by Broadway to fit the screen starring soprano Jean Macdonald as a young royalty and Maurice Chevalier as the French playboy diplomat. (â€Å"History of Musical Film 1927-1930 Part II†, 2004). The 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s were considered the golden age of musical films. Following are some of the popular musical films: Hollywood Revue of 1929 with Joan Crawford from MGM, Cecil B. Demille’s Madam Satan (1930). 932 mid-Depression saw the making of Love Me Tonight, a collaboration of Richard Rogers, Lorenz Hart, and director Rouben Mamoulian. Rogers and Hart continued with Hallelujah, I’m a Bum (1933) with Al Jolson. (â€Å"History of Musical Film 1930s: Part I†, 2003). Forty Second Street by dance Broadway director Busby Berkeley choreographed the dance sequences while composer Harry Warren and lyricist Al Dublin created the score. It was a million dollar hit for a $400,000 production. It was followed by Footlight Parade (1933), The Gold Diggers (1933) and Hollywood Hotel (1937). â€Å"History of Musical Film 1930s Part II† 2004). Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers entered the musical scene in 1933 through Flying Down to Rio, The Gay Divorcee (1934), Top Hat (1935) with a score by Irving Berlin. It was also the time of Shirley Temple in movies such as Stand Up and Cheer (1934), The Little Colonel (1935), among others. Disney produced Fantasia (1940). MGM revived its musical genre with the release of The Merry Widow (1934) (â€Å"History of Musical Film 1930s Part IV† 2004). The 1940s saw Warner Brothers’ Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) with James Cagney in his Oscar-winning performance. Then independent producer Samuel Goldwyn found Danny Kaye and made Up in Arms (1944, Wonder Man (1945), among others. It was also the time of Bing Crosby (Road Series, Going My Way, Holiday Inn) and Bob Hope (â€Å"History of Musical Film Screen 1940s: Part I† 2003). Judy Garland starred in Little Nellie Kelly (1940), Ziegfeld Girl (1941), Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) directed by Vincente Minneli, her future husband. She appeared in sixteen MGM musicals. Gene Kelley also was a big MGM star in musical movies like For Me and My Gal (1942), On the Town (1949), among others (â€Å"History of Musical Film 1940s Part III† 2004). The 1950s was the decline of the musical film genre and the emergence of television. Some of the musicals produced from 20th Century Fox were Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II’s. Oklahoma (1955), Carousel (1956), King and I (1956). South Pacific (1958). Warner Brothers released some Doris Day films, Love Me or Leave Me (1955), The Pajama Game (1957). Paramount produced What Christmas (1954) while Walt Disney released musical animations such as Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Sleeping Beauty. MGM released Kiss Me Kate (1953) and High Society (1956) (â€Å"History of Musical Film Screen 1950s†, 2003).